Mahamadou Diarra rejoins Fulham on pay-as-you-play basis

Mahamadou Diarra battles with Andy Carroll of West Ham United during his first spell with Fulham back in September 2012. Photograph: Jamie Mcdonald/Getty Images

The former Real Madrid midfielder Mahamadou Diarra has rejoined Fulham on a short-term pay-as-you-play deal until the end of the season. The 32-year-old has not played since being released at the end of last season due to a persistent knee injury but has been training with the London club in a bid to prove his fitness. Diarra – who joined Real from Lyon in 2006 for €26m (£21.5m) – was close to signing a new contract in November before the former manager Martin Jol decided against it. The Mali international then almost joined the Greek club Panathinaikos before Christmas but was invited to train with Fulham once again in February, when Felix Magath replaced René Meulensteen. With the Cottagers struggling to preserve their Premier League status, the German manager has now decided to hand Diarra the opportunity to resume his career. "Diarra's short-term contract with Fulham will see his remuneration based on the number of appearances he makes for the first team," read a statement on Fulham's website on Wednesday. PA

Zabaleta fires warning to rivals

Pablo Zabaleta has warned Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal that if Manchester City play to their best they can beat any club in the country. Tuesday's 3-0 defeat of Manchester United took them to second place, only three points behind Chelsea with two games in hand. With City still to play Arsenal – this Saturday – and Liverpool on 13 April, Zabaleta said: "We know if we play as a team we can beat anyone, and that win at Old Trafford was an important one. It's been important that we got our momentum back. Defensively we are keeping clean sheets and that is something that has made the team better – we know we have enough quality up front to win games, and that we can score at any moment in games. As a team we look really solid, and that is important at this stage of the season." Jamie Jackson